a little background..Last night my car got towed because I wasn't parked in a visitor's spot in my own apartment's parking lot. Reason for this is the lady at the office couldn't find me a new decal to use on monday so she asked me to come in the next day..but I couldn't. I've been parking in visitor's parking for 3 days after that...but thursday night there were no visitor's spots so I parked in one for residents and while coming out of the shower I hear my car beeping off. I run out and he's about to drive off...I tell him the situation and he's like I can't do anything it's already in tow. Of course he doesn't care since I don't have a decal.
I go the next day to pick it up (paid $88) and go home and fall asleep cuz I pulled an all nighter last night while working on an assignment. I woke up and went to my car and spotted this problem. I'm pasting pics of left side and right side. Now granted this doesn't look like a big problem..but I don't know what to do. . I just got it 2 months ago (2010 2.5s auto) and it was spotless. It looks like it's dented in. I called my insurance company and an adjuster is going to call me back. All that dirt on the side was there at the tow place..im pretty sure one of their drivers f'ed something up. I have full bumper to bumper warranty on my car too. Is it even worth it for me to go through my car insurance? I don't have any proof it was them who did it; however, they do take pics of the car when they tow..so i dunno..it was at midnight last night. Any advice....?
need tiny accident help asap
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Infinitiguy19
- Posts: 7787
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1994 Infiniti Q45a 240000 Miles
Re: need tiny accident help asap (RaZmAn)
Sue the piss out the tow company.
Pictures don't show up
Pictures don't show up
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Infinite-T
- Posts: 136
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- Car: 08 Altima Coupe 2.5S
- Location: Seattle WA
Re: need tiny accident help asap (RaZmAn)
Dude, that really SUCKS. I would totally stick it to the towing company. If you car is new, you might be able to use that in the claim. Say hey the car is brand new so the tow company must have dinged it.
Do you have any of your own pictures of it? Did you take a bunch of pics to post here before the dent?
I mean it looks realy minor but if the tow company is responsible they should be held responsible.
If that doesnt happen your insurance company should handle it. But if you have a deductable higher than the amount of damage that might not matter. If you get screwed and have to cover it yourself, it doesnt look too bad. If there is no scuff, or paint damage you can probably pop it out with a rubber mallet or one of those suction things and it will look new and long as the paint doesnt crack or isnt cracked already.
Good luck with it dude.
Do you have any of your own pictures of it? Did you take a bunch of pics to post here before the dent?
I mean it looks realy minor but if the tow company is responsible they should be held responsible.
If that doesnt happen your insurance company should handle it. But if you have a deductable higher than the amount of damage that might not matter. If you get screwed and have to cover it yourself, it doesnt look too bad. If there is no scuff, or paint damage you can probably pop it out with a rubber mallet or one of those suction things and it will look new and long as the paint doesnt crack or isnt cracked already.
Good luck with it dude.
Re: need tiny accident help asap (Infinite-T)
The pics show up for me hmmm.
Thanks man. yea it is pretty minor, there is no paint damage or anything. I unfortunately don't have any pics of it before the tow..I mean who would. The only pic i do have is the other side and it was a month prior. My deductible is 500 and I highly doubt this job is gonna cost more than that..so maybe getting it done myself might be better...and not filing a claim might be better for me too I guess..I don't really want 'accident reported' to appear in my carfax either...regardless of how big..in case I one day want to sell it...cuz when people see that they will turn away immediately ( i know i did when i was looking into buying used).
Thanks man. yea it is pretty minor, there is no paint damage or anything. I unfortunately don't have any pics of it before the tow..I mean who would. The only pic i do have is the other side and it was a month prior. My deductible is 500 and I highly doubt this job is gonna cost more than that..so maybe getting it done myself might be better...and not filing a claim might be better for me too I guess..I don't really want 'accident reported' to appear in my carfax either...regardless of how big..in case I one day want to sell it...cuz when people see that they will turn away immediately ( i know i did when i was looking into buying used).
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IBCoupe
- Posts: 7534
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'19 Infiniti QX50 FWD
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Re: need tiny accident help asap (RaZmAn)
The dent doesn't look too bad. You can probably find a place to do it for well under $500 or so, but I'm not a professional, so don't take my word for it. Though it's the rear quarter-panel, which, in my experience, tend to be pretty damned expensive, the dent itself looks pretty superficial. There's a little bit of a crease, but if you find a good body shop, you probably won't notice much of anything.
About a month after I got my old Corolla, I got hit in a movie theater parking lot; had a much bigger crease behind the front left wheel. We took it to a body shop, they fixed it for $300, and, unless you were looking for something, there was nothing noticeable. Of course, because I was looking, I noticed that the paint was a little rippled (they didn't repaint the part or anything; there was no deep scratching or anything - just smoothed it out and cleaned it up).
You could contact your insurance, but chances are that it will cost less than your deductible, and even if it doesn't, it might not be worth the hassle of calling your insurance provider. You could try to get the towing agency or even your apartment complex to pay for it (if it's especially cheap, one of them might be willing), but suing them should be out of the question.
Sorry to say it, pal, but this is probably coming right out of your pocket. But I hope you can negotiate with the tow or the management. Good luck!
About a month after I got my old Corolla, I got hit in a movie theater parking lot; had a much bigger crease behind the front left wheel. We took it to a body shop, they fixed it for $300, and, unless you were looking for something, there was nothing noticeable. Of course, because I was looking, I noticed that the paint was a little rippled (they didn't repaint the part or anything; there was no deep scratching or anything - just smoothed it out and cleaned it up).
You could contact your insurance, but chances are that it will cost less than your deductible, and even if it doesn't, it might not be worth the hassle of calling your insurance provider. You could try to get the towing agency or even your apartment complex to pay for it (if it's especially cheap, one of them might be willing), but suing them should be out of the question.
Sorry to say it, pal, but this is probably coming right out of your pocket. But I hope you can negotiate with the tow or the management. Good luck!
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Viper5000
- Posts: 696
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- Location: Tallahassee, FL
hard to tell from the pics, but it doesnt look that bad....
I would say if you feel like you have to get it fixed, than just go around and get some estimates... it will be cheaper than your deductible
PS...
Raz, i dont how long you have been a student in Tally, or if you have been towed in town before, but you did a definite no-no.....
what time did your car get towed?
I would say if you feel like you have to get it fixed, than just go around and get some estimates... it will be cheaper than your deductible
PS...
Raz, i dont how long you have been a student in Tally, or if you have been towed in town before, but you did a definite no-no.....
what time did your car get towed?
Re: (Viper5000)
tryin to get this particular tow company to do anything is prob out of the question. They are real bastards. I remember last year a dude got towed and he paid them in 8800 pennies lol. The video is on youtube somewhere.
lol yea I know bro...it was at 12:15. The bastard was waiting I guess. I left the gym and got home at 11:30..I had to take a shower, but all visitor spots were taken (thursday night so yea..)...so i mean there was nothing I could do and I wasn't going to sit in my car all sweaty until a spot opened up. I ran in to shower, put some food on the stove..and i heard my car beeping off. I was meant to leave before midnight to work on an assignment...but I didn't and I forgot about the car. just a list of bad coincidences.
You know of any shops in town I should go to? And yea it doesnt really look that bad at all...but i mean it's there and I'm annoyed by it lol.
lol yea I know bro...it was at 12:15. The bastard was waiting I guess. I left the gym and got home at 11:30..I had to take a shower, but all visitor spots were taken (thursday night so yea..)...so i mean there was nothing I could do and I wasn't going to sit in my car all sweaty until a spot opened up. I ran in to shower, put some food on the stove..and i heard my car beeping off. I was meant to leave before midnight to work on an assignment...but I didn't and I forgot about the car. just a list of bad coincidences.
You know of any shops in town I should go to? And yea it doesnt really look that bad at all...but i mean it's there and I'm annoyed by it lol.
Re: need tiny accident help asap
so yea..I just got back from an estimator and he concluded that it would cost about $370 to fix my car back to new....
it's like 75 bucks for paints and materials, body labor is 118, refinish labor is 151and some addt'l repair costs...
It is less than my deductible so my insurance company can't help...so either I pay OOP or I can take the tow company to a small claims court....decisions decisions..
it's like 75 bucks for paints and materials, body labor is 118, refinish labor is 151and some addt'l repair costs...
It is less than my deductible so my insurance company can't help...so either I pay OOP or I can take the tow company to a small claims court....decisions decisions..
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Coupeguy23
- Posts: 611
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- Location: Nashville TN
Re: (Viper5000)
RaZmAn wrote:tryin to get this particular tow company to do anything is prob out of the question. They are real bastards. I remember last year a dude got towed and he paid them in 8800 pennies lol. The video is on youtube somewhere.
lol yea I know bro...it was at 12:15. The bastard was waiting I guess. I left the gym and got home at 11:30..I had to take a shower, but all visitor spots were taken (thursday night so yea..)...so i mean there was nothing I could do and I wasn't going to sit in my car all sweaty until a spot opened up. I ran in to shower, put some food on the stove..and i heard my car beeping off. I was meant to leave before midnight to work on an assignment...but I didn't and I forgot about the car. just a list of bad coincidences.
You know of any shops in town I should go to? And yea it doesnt really look that bad at all...but i mean it's there and I'm annoyed by it lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzc8vS-ac-g never though this would happen lol
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IBCoupe
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'19 Infiniti QX50 FWD
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Re: need tiny accident help asap
That was hot.
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darrdevil
- Posts: 38
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Re: need tiny accident help asap
I will be doing that in the future. lol
Re: need tiny accident help asap
LOL That towing video was great!
Good luck with your car, man.
Good luck with your car, man.
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LongBeachCoupe
- Posts: 9482
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2005 Lexus RX
Re: need tiny accident help asap
Lets get to brass tacks here...
You arent getting anything from the tow company.
I dont see any real visible damage either... I know you are uptight about your "new baby" though....
What it DOES look like from the 1st pic is that maybe during the lift of the tow, it pulled the rear bumper out of its place on that side... If you pull back the wheel liner on the rear wheel you will find a bolt you can take out, and it should hold that side of the bumper on, massage the fitment, and reattach... This has happened to me...
The bumper should have an O shaped washer, built for this bolt to go thru, if its snapped (and looks like a C instead of an O) all you need to do is put a metal washer there, to disperse the pressure, and hold the bumper in!
HTH!
You arent getting anything from the tow company.
I dont see any real visible damage either... I know you are uptight about your "new baby" though....
What it DOES look like from the 1st pic is that maybe during the lift of the tow, it pulled the rear bumper out of its place on that side... If you pull back the wheel liner on the rear wheel you will find a bolt you can take out, and it should hold that side of the bumper on, massage the fitment, and reattach... This has happened to me...
The bumper should have an O shaped washer, built for this bolt to go thru, if its snapped (and looks like a C instead of an O) all you need to do is put a metal washer there, to disperse the pressure, and hold the bumper in!
HTH!